Baseball & The 4th of July

Baseball and the 4th of July celebration has been a part of my entire adult life. From 1986 to 2021, I have spent 33 of those Independence Day celebrations on the baseball field. I have been a player during that time, a minor league coach, a major league coach. And this time, a coach in the newly reformed Appalachian League. This league is full of collegians from across the country. We will be involved with celebrations on three consecutive days. The Flyboys will be in Burlington, NC, Johnson City, Tn and of course, Pioneer Park in Greenville.

Lest not we forget that the fourth is Independence Day. The holiday marks the day in 1776 when the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence This signaled the official separation of the original thirteen colonies from Great Britain amid the Revolutionary War. While doing a little research it turns out that fireworks were used to celebrate the holiday in 1777. The first ever recorded Fourth of July party was held in Philadelphia, Pa., How many forefathers envisioned it, the celebration included illuminations, a parade, and explosions. President John Adams wrote that the date, (July 4,) will be celebrated by future generations with pomp, games and festivals. Early Americans brought fireworks with them to the New World and the quickly became a July 4th tradition.

Some of my best Independence Day celebrations were in Indianapolis. The AAA stadium, Victory Field, was packed each time Louisville played there. The streets were also lined with people. The fireworks, music and light show entertained thousands who come for the party. The 2021 celebrations started in Burlington, where the stadium was packed. The music with loud and lively. The crowd was entertained with on field promotions. The stadium was truly buzzing with energy. The Sock Puppet fans were loud and excited. The game cruised along for eight innings. The teams entered the final frame knotted at one run apiece. Then, the Puppets could not throw strikes. The game came to a crawl. The Boys had opened a five run lead when the skies opened up and without warning it flooded. It was a rain storm of Biblical proportions. The grounds crew raced to cover the field, the crowd hurried for cover. About the time the deluge slowed down the City made a good decision, they let the fire works loose, regardless of the end of the game. The fireworks show was spectacular and the fans enjoyed every minute of the illuminated rainy night sky. We were not able to complete the game after a long day, another good decision.

The second fireworks show was a July 3rd celebration in Johnson City. Last time we played in this stadium there weee fireworks of a different kind. Doughboys coaches were ejected, there were rowdy fans escorted from the stadium. I am hoping for a little more family and fan friendly crowd this time around. This game started out with a good pace, the Boys held an early 4-0 lead but the Doughboys fought back. Ryan Franklin, entered the game in the fifth inning with two men on base amd two others had scored. A huge strikeout ended the rally. The crowd was boisterous and and the excitement was high. But the Flyboys rolled out the dough winning the game by four. The fireworks show was stylish amd loud. The fans and players enjoyed the illuminated skies over Johnson City.

The final July 4, Independence Dsy celebration took place on the campus of historic Tusculum University. It was a great night. The crowd filled the seats like we have not witnessed before tonight. A nee attendance record was announced late in the game. The buzz of the crowd, the Star Spangled Banner, the smell of hamburgers, if this doesn’t get your blood pumping- something is definitely wrong with you. The Flyboys dominated the game, which was extremely long due to the frequency of base on balls by the City Doughboys. The game ended in odd fashion as we kicked five ground balls in the final frame. The stadium lights went out and the show began. Many Flyboys were joined on the field by close friends. The others joined arm in arm to admire the Independence Day celebration. It was a fantastic night. It is amazing how baseball brings people together,makes me proud to be involved.

The Sock Puppets

The Flyboys are on a two game losing streak, what? The Sock Puppets, you heard that right, are traveling to Greenville for a two game set. In an article from mlb.com, it is written that the team from Burlington now has an identity that embraces the history of the community as well as one that is unique. The identity was created by Dan Simon of Studio Simon. The name Sock Puppets, gives homage to the rich textile tradition of the Burlington area by featuring two different sock puppets inside the primary logo.

The Flyboys pitchers have been working hard before each game. The team of seventeen pitchers is a good group. The players all are religious with their arm care. The Greenville team has supplied the fellas with bands for daily warmup and strengthening. The band routine is something every pitcher should do on a daily basis. We have several sets of bands that clip on to any chain link fence. The club also has plyo balls. These pliable throwing balls are of different weights. Driveline is the manufacturer of these balls. There are a series of throwing drills the pitcher can do every day as well. Generally, one would choose a maximum of four throwing drills to complete every day. There are seven basic movements to do with these “skittles” as some call them because each ball is a different color. Driveline not only makes the weighted balls, it provides education for throwers as well as research to back the benefit of each throwing drill. What I like most about the drills is that they should be unique for each pitcher as everyone has different needs, The idea of the drills is to make the user better at pitching, not good at the drills. So each throwing drill has a purpose and needs to be completed with the purpose of the drill in mind. The Appy League also uses the latest tracking technology, Rapsodo and Trackman. These simply track the flight and spin of the ball. It will tell us how fast the baseball is moving, the direction it is moving, how much spin is on the ball. These devices can also give the user some metrics about the pitcher. How high from the ground he lets go of the baseball, what the pitchers’ arm angle is at release, the angle of the ball when it is released. So, fun stuff. This data that is collected can be used to help the coach and player script an individual development plan for every athlete .Something as simple as the pitcher’s arm angle is different on each type of pitch the pitcher may throw. So, along with video, we can assist the pitcher release his fastball, curveball and changeup from the same window. This way, everything looks the same to the hitter when the pitch is released. Hey, every competitive edge we can get we use here with the Flyboys. However, with all the technology available, the pitcher must cross that white foul line and compete. The pitcher must plan his work( pregame) and work his plan during the game. That is a simple formula for a high percentage of success on the mound.

Game one of the series goes to the Boys. The bats were rolling tonight and an eighth inning bomb off the scoreboard in left field sealed the deal. The bullpen was not clean tonight but each pitcher managed to make a pitch to escape the big inning. Game two was hampered by lightning delays but the Flyboys tossed their second shutout of the young season. More importantly, two of the four pitchers in this game made adjustments from their previous games. Dawson Gause worked two shutout innings. Zach Fruit,’of Easter Michigan, worked two exceptional innings showing a huge gain in control of his pitches and quality of his slider. Zane Robbins finished the shutout with two strikeouts in final frame. Zane, has developed since joining the beginning of the season. He has seen a significant jump in velocity, throwing efficiency and quality of breaking ball spin. Remember how we measure pitch metrics? Many fans and coaches can be intimidated by the new way of collecting data. But the truth is, baseball has always quantified a player’s tools. The days of just using a stopwatch, a hand held radar gun and a vhs recorder are over. We are quantifying player performance at a new level. When used correctly this information can help a team sign the best player available, it can cut the learning curve down for players of all ages as well.

Flyboys earned a day off Monday. The team went 4-2 on the week including sweeps at Bristol and at Pioneer Park against Burlington. The team heads East Tuesday for the longest road trip of the season to date, a five game trip starting in Pulaski and ending in Johnson City with a stop in Burlington in the middle

Invasion of the River Turtles

The River Turtles of Pulaski pulled in to town donned in their emerald green uni’s for a weekend contest against the Flyboys of Greenville, Tennessee. Pulaski is in Virginia. The town was named after a Count Casimir Pulaski, a Revolutionary war hero from Poland. The population of the town is around 10,000. According to Trip Advisor the number one attraction is Calfee Park, which is summer home to the River Turtles. Pulaski first hosted professional baseball back in 1942. The city has hosted young players from the Brooklyn Dodgers to the New York Yankees, most recently. Calfee park was built in 1935 as part of the New Deal enacted by President Franklin Roosevelt. This historic ballpark has been used for horse shows, fairs, concerts, exhibitions and of course, baseball. The park was renovated in 1999. Calfee park has been added to the National and State Historic Landmarks Registry.

The River Turtles own one of the leagues most potent offenses. This should be quite the weekend matchup. The Flyboys pitching staff holds the Turtles down in game one, allowing just five hits and two runs. The pitching staff, which currently leads the league in strikeouts, struck out 14 in this game while issuing only one walk. The offense made the most of their eight hits and five walks. The highlight of this game was young RHP, Austin Troesser. He absolutely dominated the opposition, striking out five of the six hitters he faced. He was one pitch away from an immaculate innings, when with an 0-2 count he allowed a broken bat grounder to second base. He went on the fan the side in the fifth inning for extra measure. This was a far cry from his last outing where he needed thirty pitches to get three outs. Today, he needed 19, for two outstanding innings of work. Game two of the series did not go as planned. We dropped a 6-4 decision to the River Turtles. This game we simply did not make the pitches or plays to win the game. The first batter of the game bunted back to the pitcher who flubbed ground ball for an error to start the game. As a matter of fact, the leadoff hitter was on base four times in seven innings today. Why is that a big deal? The averages tell us that pitchers, E,R.A( earned run average) is 8.54 with a runner on first base and no outs. On the other hand, with one out and no one on base, the pitchers’ E.R.A. falls to 3.54. Five runs difference is noteworthy and as a pitcher and catcher we need to know how important keeping the leadoff hitter off base is for winning baseball.

The majority of our pitchers and catchers have their pitches called from the dugout by the head coach or pitching coach while in college. So, many of them do not have a great “feel” for calling the game. This league is about development, so the young men are on their own during the game. Many times, I may ask after the inning ” what were you thinking when you threw this pitch in a certain situation?) This is a great way to learn. One gets good judgement from experience and experience comes from bad judgement. In today’s game, I took a lot of notes. My notes are written on the lineup card where the last out of the innings is posted and what the opposing hitters do each at bat. I also makes notes on attempted bunts and stolen bases attempted. We also note the count in which these events occurred. In this game we did not attack or execute pitches on the 1-1 counts. I know we wrote about the importance of this pivotal count. We also did a poor job of reacting to what we see from the hitter. I will give a few examples. The first pitch of the at bat is a fastball on the outside part of the plate, strike one looking. The next pitch is a changeup up, that the hitters chases out of the strike zone. What would you throw the next pitch? We chose to throw a fastball in the middle of the plate for a no ball and two strike, 2 out double that scored a run. If we react to the previous swing of the hitter, we make him chase another pitch out of the strike zone. There is rarely a set up pitch, the pitcher should throw every pitch with the intent to get the batter out. Bad location hurts the pitcher more than bad selection, on most nights. We also chose to repeat in the zone breaking balls for a long double off the wall. Let me explain. First pitch of the at bat, curve in the dirt, ball one. Second pitch, another curve this time for a called strike. What are my options here? We chose to throw another curve ball, this time a little higher in the strike zone. Bad choice but a time to learn, not because of the result. Repeating off speed pitches in the strike zone gives the hitters a very good chance to time the pitch and measure the break. Please, remember in the strike zone to under the strike zone, often works. We also threw another hitter a 2-1 fastball that the left handed batter hit over the third base dugout He was late on this fastball in a hitter advantage count. When we see the hitter is late, we move the ball closer to the batter or we elevate the ball closer to him But we chose to throw a high slider which the batter laced into left center field. Another, time to learn- for the pitcher and catcher. My last rant, which is pitching 101 Every 0-1 count should not a breaking ball in the dirt. This is an advantage count for the pitcher which is a great time to work inside to inside off the plate. The catcher and pitcher need to on the same page with this strategy. So, communication with pitcher and catcher is crucial. They should talk between each inning to bounce ideas off one another and get feedback from each other on the next inning.

The Boys are off tomorrow and I am headed to Cary for a steak dinner. Enjoy every breath! LG Flyboys.

Elizabethton Part Deaux

Elizabethton is a commuter trip for the Flyboys. The team boards the bus outside the home ballpark at 245 for the 50 minute trek. The walk from the clubhouse to the bus is uphill, probably 200 yards. By uphill I mean an estimated 15% grade, carrying my equipment bag, These old knees don’t appreciate it but hey, burning more calories. The team arrives one hour before the pregame routine begins. This arrival allows ample time for the players to get dressed into batting practice attire, receive treatment from the athletic trainer if needed as well. It also allows time for the staff to write and post hitting groups and to peruse the opposing team roster, stats, lineup, etc. The team caters a box lunch for the players and staff before and after the game. Without opening the box I know we are having a wrap, a bag of kettle chips, a fruit cup, tiny donut hole things and cinnamon butter dipping cup. I rarely eat it so I can’t say the quality. I am gluten intolerant and every day there is a flour tortilla staring at me. The catering group also delivers gallons of sweet tea and lemonade of sorts. The post game box meal is a variety but often has pasta so I leave mine on the table.

The pregame routine on the road is fairly consistent. Stretch, run and throw followed by batting practice. We divide the position players into three groups of four hitters. Each group hits for 12-15 before rotating back to the field. The batting practice is thrown by the coaches. The hitters have a strict daily routine, that’s announced before the hitting starts. While one group is hitting the other players are working on defense. The infielders take ground balls hit by the fungo hitter and make throws to 1st base or 2nd base. This is a great time to gauge how the infield plays, fast, slow, true or bumpy. Each park has different grass and the clay can be hard as concrete or damp and smooth. Outfielders can play balls off the bat. This is a time to test the wind, the grass , the warning track and to see how balls bounce of the outfield wall. Pitchers during this time help shag the balls. They might have bucket duty, which is where the batted balls are thrown and placed in the large plastic bucket. The bucket of balls is used to replenish the balls thrown by the coach. Generally when one gets near the bottom of throwing balls a yell of “Balls” can be heard around the diamond.

The starting pitchers and I usually head out 45 minutes before the game. Pre game routines have become more elaborate and involved than they were a decade ago. The starting pitcher generally goes through a total body warmup. We never want to use the throwing arm to warm up the back and legs. The majority of pitchers use weighted balls( heavier than a baseball) to warm up. The hurlers usually throws these against a sturdy wall. Exercise bands that clip to a chain link fence are also used and are a great way to get the throwing arm warmed up to compete. The pitchers need a good pre game routine, a precise one. Some of my guys start throwing at 20 minutes before the game and some are 22 or 17 minutes. So the coach needs to know the time of day and the scheduled time of the first pitch of the game. The pitcher warms up with the starting catcher in the outfield so the pitcher can long toss some to get maximally lubed up. Long toss means, to me, over 90 feet. Some pitchers toss to 150 feet, others out to 200 feet. The average pitcher throws for 8-9 minutes in the outfield before heading to the mound. The number of throws in that time period is 32-35 throws. The pitcher and catcher then walk to the bullpen mound to prep for the game. The pitchers works on each of his pitches from the windup as well as the stretch. Most pitchers need to be reminded to throw from the stretch but truth is 50% of pitches in a game are made with runners on base. A good bullpen routine is 30-36 pitches thrown. Most of the kids here throw much less than that but they will learn. The pitcher wants to give himself a five minute break between finishing up in the bullpen before the game starts, There is that time thing again, time management and starting pitching is a must for creating a fantastic routine. Routines lead to consistency.

Game one of this series saw the Flyboys fall in the last inning. We did battle back to tie the game in the top of the 9th. Too many wasted opportunities in the game to come out victorious. The pitching staff had no walks in this contest for the first time all season. The Flyboys also had 12 strikeouts. Two throwing errors gave the River Riders the extra bases to win, 3-2. Game two of the series was all Flyboys. The pitching staff was dominant. The Boyz from Eastern Michigan combined for 7 innings, 1 hit and 9 strikeouts. I look forward to watching the pitching future of Russo and Wagoner. Overall we allowed 3 singles in the game and 2 of those were not hits but the official score keeper loves the home town team. The Greenville Flyboys head home for a weekend series with the Turtles, who have a potent lineup. For now, it is post game shower, skip the non GF meal and drive back to Tusculum for a cerveza and gluten free chips and salsa. diggity!

Bring on the Axemen

The first home stand of the season ends with a two game set with the Kingsport Axemen. Yes, the Flyboys vs. the Axemen, sounds like a potential Netflix pilot. Kingsport is in Tennessee. It is 43 miles North, North East of Greenville. The city of Kingsport derived it’s name from the simplification of “King’s Port” which was the name given to the area by the early pioneers. The Long Island of the Holston River has a vast and rich history. It is a National Historic Landmark. It was the home of the sacred Cherokee council and a treaty site as well.

The previous night saw the Flyboys play an extremely sloppy game. We made several errors in the field and a couple of mental mistakes as well. The opposition was sloppy as well but were much sloppier. Pitching truly makes the world go around. On this night the Greenville pitching was not it’s sharpest. The staff worked behind in the count too often. Our goal for first pitch strikes is 60%. We did not come close to that expectation tonight. Early in the count, the pitcher needs to be aggressive. One of the first two pitches needs to be a strike 80% of the time. Tonight’s pitchers had several two ball and no strike counts, which is a recipe for disastrous performance. 69% of strike outs begin with strike one. Over 70% of walks begin with ball one.

Another emphasis for the Flyboys hurlers is to win the one ball, one strike counts. This is the largest swing count in baseball when it comes to offensive production. When the count moves to 2 balls and 1 strike, the hitters historically hit over .400. This a very high average, if you did not know. When the counts moves to 1 ball and 2 strikes, the hiiter’s batting average falls to under .180. This is a low output for the hitter. Those numbers make the 1-1 the largest “swing”‘count in baseball.

On this night we executed pitch after pitch. Our starting pitcher,

Conner Harris, pitched five innings and only threw 49 pitches. He averaged less than 10 pitches inning. The average pitch count per inning at this level is 19 pitches. So,’he had an absurdly efficient outing. He set the tone. We had two relief pitchers finish the game. We attacked the opposing hitters early in the count, we dominated the 1-1 counts. For the night the Flyboy pitches only threw 95 pitches in 9’innimgs. A great night for this pitching coach. We won a tightly contested game, 1-0. Game two of this series was postponed due to heavy rain. So technically we won our first series. Off to play in Johnson City tomorrow.